Villanova Communication Professor Honored by National Communication Association

Villanova, Pa. – Dron M. Mandhana, PhD, assistant professor of Communication in Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was recently honored by the National Communication Association (NCA) with its 2021 Rookie Advisor of the Year Award from NCA’s Lambda Pi Eta student organization. 

Lambda Pi Eta is the NCA’s official honor society at four-year colleges and universities, with more than 500 active chapters nationwide. Dr. Mandhana serves as faculty advisor of the Alpha Rho chapter at Villanova. The Lambda Pi Eta Rookie Advisor of the Year Award recognizes the advisor who has served three years or less and has dedicated their time, energy and service to their Lambda Pi Eta chapter’s student members.

“Dr. Mandhana has been the Alpha Rho chapter’s advisor for nearly three years and has gone above and beyond to inspire students to achieve excellence in Communication and to empower them to be independent and creative leaders,” noted the NCA in the award announcement.

Dr. Mandhana’s area of expertise is organizational communication. He received his doctorate in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

“As the faculty advisor of the Alpha Rho Chapter for the last three years, I have enjoyed the privilege of working with some of the most hardworking students in Villanova’s Communication Department and had the chance to organize events focused on students’ academic and professional development,” Dr. Mandhana says. “The most fulfilling part of this role has been the opportunity to develop meaningful professional relationships with students.”

Dr. Mandhana and other 2021 NCA award recipients will be honored during the NCA 107th Annual Convention on Saturday, November 20.

NCA is the largest communication association in the United States. NCA serves the scholars, teachers and practitioners who are our members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching.

About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of Villanova’s colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.